New Delhi: Taking a dig at the Congress and the ruling LDF alliance in Kerala, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the grand old party is vanishing from the country, while the world is getting rid of Communist parties. He added that if the southern state has a future, it is with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Speaking at a conference in Thiruvananthapuram, the Union Home Minister, as quoted by news agency ANI said, “Congress party and the Communists never worked for the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes and the poor. They treated them as mere vote banks.”
“When we formed the govt with full majority, we made Kovind Ji, a Dalit, the President of India. In our second term, we helped Smt Droupadi Murmu Ji, who hails from an ST community, to become the President of India,” Shah said, adding, “Baba Saheb Ambedkar was not conferred Bharat Ratna during the rule of Congress. It was only when Congress was voted out that he was conferred with the Bharat Ratna.”
Talking about the commissioning of India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant into the naval fleet on Friday, he said, “Yesterday, India commissioned INS Vikrant which was designed and built in India and dedicated it to the nation… I want to congratulate all the karyakartas of Kerala, because here, you need patriotism, sacrifice and bravery to work for the country.”
Meanwhile, in his address at the 30th Southern Zonal Council meeting in Kovalam earlier in the day, Amit Shah urged the southern states to explore joint solution to water sharing issues.
“In the 30th meeting of Southern Zonal Council held at Thiruvananthapuram today, total 26 issues were discussed, 9 issues were resolved, 17 issues were reserved for further consideration out of which 9 issues are related to reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh,” an official release said.
According to reports, the meeting was attended by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Lieutenant Governors of the southern Union Territories Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.